Gabrielle

Gabrielle was born in London as Louisa Gabriella Bobb to parents from Dominica. She and her three brothers were brought up by their mother, Patricia. Gabrielle credited her mother for her love of soul and reggae music.

Gabrielle has had ptosis, the drooping of one eyelid, since childhood: in public, she covers her eye with sunglasses, an eyepatch, a hat or hair. In school, she suffered from depression and was sometimes suicidal. After finishing her A-levels, she abandoned an idea to study law and began singing in nightclubs.

Gabrielle's real first name is Louisa, but she goes by a distorted version of her middle name, Gabriella. In an interview with Smooth Radio, she said: "I actually always thought I was Louise Gabrielle. But I’m actually Louisa Gabriella. 'Yes. Let’s call you Gabrielle. Let’s call you Gabrielle for now.' I was chuffed, because I didn’t have to make up a name. I was able to use my middle name. And that’s how it came about."

.In June 1993, Gabrielle released her debut single, "Dreams", co-written by Gabrielle and Tim Laws and produced by Richie Fermie. In its earliest version, the song sampled the melody of Tracy Chapman's 1988 hit "Fast Car". This was later removed after copyright infringement. "Dreams" topped the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in June 1993 having entered the British charts at number 2, which was the highest chart entry a debut act had ever scored in the UK at that time. The song also peaked at number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US and at number-one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. In Australia, the song made number two on the ARIA Chart. The second single "Going Nowhere" from the same album was written by Gabrielle and George McFarlane and produced by Pete Cragie. "Going Nowhere" reached number nine on the UK singles chart and number 18 ranking in Ireland. It was the second biggest hit from the album Find Your Way. In December 1993 Gabrielle released her third single from her debut album. "I Wish", written by Gabrielle and Jon Douglas, it was not as successful as its predecessors, which both reached the UK top ten. "I Wish" charted at number 26 on the UK singles chart. "Because of You" was the fourth and final single from Gabrielle's debut album Find Your Way. Written by Gabrielle, George McFarlane and Ray Saint John, "Because of You" peaked at number 24 on the UK Singles Chart. "Find Your Way" peaked at number nine on the UK Albums Chart. ...